Unsteady 不安定な
by Susan strong
Summary: The rewritten—and altered—version of 'Iridescent'. Rio Ōtsuki, an outcast of the Hidden Leaf, grew up with no knowledge of her parents; the only people in her life who are close to her is her friend Naruto Uzumaki, and her teacher outside the Academy, Kakashi Hatake. That was it. But when things start to slow and steadily go downhill in the village, Rio will realize her importance.
1. Chapter 1

**4 ½ Years After the Kyūbi Attack**

She was small, that much was obvious. Her hair was snow white and her skin was a delicate pale color, but her cheeks had a rosy tint. The Hokage remembered the day she came into the village—a young woman, covered in dirt and dried blood, had come into his office carefully carrying a basket. The woman said she was a survivor of an attack of a small village in Yukigakure, and she had very precious cargo that needed to be delivered to the Leaf.

Needless to say, the Hokage had been surprised to find an infant inside the basket.

The woman explained that the infant's father was a Konohagakure ninja—an ANBU.

The Hokage listened to her story, trying to see if she was lying to him. She had given the best description she could of the infant's father, but she said the only noticeable thing about him was his hair. The father never spoke to her, so she had no idea what he sounded like.

When the Hokage asked if the woman would like to stay in the Leaf to watch over the infant, the offer was declined. The woman said she had a relative in Amegakure and she planned on moving there.

And, after a week of the infant being delivered to the village, the Hokage made sure that a detailed medical history was made—but it was difficult without knowing who the infant's mother was. As far as the Hokage knew, she was healthy—the only thing that might come across as concerning would be that the infant was blind.

Once the proper medical treatment and evaluations had been completed, the Hokage put her in the local orphanage. Not only that, but he assigned Kakashi to watch over her when he couldn't. It had been four and a half years since Konoha had been attacked by the Nine-Tails, and while the community was in its final stages of recovery, there were still a small handful of things that just couldn't heal.

For Kakashi, it had been the death of his teacher.

But, for the meantime, it seemed like watching over Rio was keeping Kakashi occupied. Which was certainly a good thing.

* * *

Kakashi couldn't really understand why the Hokage wanted him to look after a baby. Every day was the same thing—when he wasn't going on missions or recovering from one, he'd be looking after the baby, visiting her for a couple hours a day while avoiding the other children. Occasionally, he'd catch himself looking at the hyperactive blonde the other children actively avoided.

An ache burned in Kakashi's chest whenever he saw Naruto.

At such a young age, he was being severely mistreated. Kakashi saw how the children treated him, how some of the _adults_ treated him. Naruto would be ignored, bullied, ostracized. The young Uzumaki was only four years old. He had no idea why he was being treated that way.

But Naruto Uzumaki wasn't Kakashi's assignment.

There would be a couple moments where Kakashi felt an urge to put some of the kids who bullied Naruto in their place, but he didn't. He saw something in Naruto's eyes that suggested he could handle what everyone was throwing at him.

So Kakashi would watch over Rio while observing Naruto from a distance.

Maybe watching over Rio wouldn't be so dull after all.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **This is the rewritten, altered version of 'Iridescent'. Since that story didn't really turn out so well, I decided I'd try something else. This story will be loosely written around the anime version of 'Naruto', so please bear with me. For any of you who read/reviewed/followed/favorited 'Iridescent', if you've got any feedback for this chapter, let me know.**

 **I own nothing in the 'Naruto' universe, that all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I own Rio, any other characters I add the story, and my fillers.**

 **Let me know what you think of this chapter. Hopefully this story turns out better than 'Iridescent' did. If you've got ideas for possible side-plots, if you've got ideas for OC's, let me know. I'm all for ideas.**

 _ **A reminder for the reviewers**_ **: There will come a time where whenever I update a new chapter, it'll show up as a repeat of the previous one. Please, do not review to tell me I posted the same chapter twice. So if you want to review, please let it be something important.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	2. Chapter 2: Stories

**Stories**

Rio loved hearing Naruto's stories. He always had so much to say! For as long as she could remember, Naruto always told such exciting tales of his journeys around the village—and Rio listened intently. Eventually, Naruto's stories started changing—he started talking about how he would join the Academy and become the Leave Village's best ninja, then becoming the Hokage. Naruto had his sights on being Hokage.

It made Rio really happy, knowing he had a dream.

"Would I be able to join the Academy, too?" she exclaimed happily.

Naruto had a vague idea that the things he'd told her had inspired her in some way—she was young, only four years old. She ate up every little detail that was given to her.

"I dunno, Rio," he said carefully.

A frown settled on her face. For as long as she could remember, she knew that her blindness was something people pointed out—everyone in the orphanage made sure to tell her just how limited she was with her lack of eyesight.

"Do you really wanna be a ninja?" Naruto asked, trying to make himself sound a little more supportive.

She nodded.

"Well, I guess you could join the Academy!" he exclaimed, trying to sound cheerful. "I bet you'll do awesome."

"Everyone says I can't do anything 'cause I'm blind," she muttered defeatedly. "Some of the other kids say that I'll be stuck here forever 'cause no one wants a blind kid."

A bubble of anger formed in Naruto's stomach. He'd grown up with Rio, she was his only friend, even if she _was_ four years younger than him.

"Who cares what they think?" he cried heatedly. "I'm sure someone in the village would _love_ to adopt you!"

Rio didn't say anything.

For some reason, the other kids didn't like her. Even Ms. Tsukino, the woman who runs the orphanage, didn't like her. Rio could only guess it was because she hung around Naruto—no one in the village liked him.

"Sometimes, I wonder why I was left here." Rio's voice was so small, Naruto barely heard it. "I wonder why my Mommy and Daddy left me here—I don't think they loved me."

"Rio...," Naruto tried.

"If they did, they'd've kept me and I wouldn't be sad all the time."

An idea sprung into Naruto's head. "Wanna hear a story?" he exclaimed, gently nudging Rio's shoulder. They were spending the afternoon outside—Ms. Tsukino always had the kids play outside after lunch. Naruto and Rio were sitting near their usual spot—under the oak tree near the orphanage's fence.

Rio shrugged.

A foxlike grin spread across Naruto's face. "It's a super good story, too!" he mock whispered, feeling rather proud of himself for thinking it.

That caught Rio's interest.

Naruto took that as a sign to start. He told Rio with _all_ the excitement he could muster about a little girl with snowy hair who missed her parents. The little girl had been left home alone while her parents had gone into town to go do something important. The girl spent the day wondering when they'd return.

Rio listened carefully to what Naruto was saying—she felt something stir in her while he told the story.

By the end of the story, Rio didn't say anything. She could feel Naruto's eyes on her, waiting for her to say something.

She smiled.

In the end, the little girl's parents returned and she was happy.

"Whaddya think?" he exclaimed, the foxlike grin on his face widening.

"It was really nice," she said quietly.

"Next time you're feeling sad, remember that story, OK?" Lying just beneath the lively mischievousness in Naruto's voice, there was a hint of seriousness. Naruto hated when Rio was anything but happy. He felt like it was his duty to keep her safe and happy. It was an important duty he put upon himself.

Not even Kakashi, who would occasionally come by the orphanage to visit Rio, could understand the intensity of Naruto's position.

If Naruto were to be completely honest with himself—which he was most of the time—he'd have to say that he didn't like Kakashi. Rio liked him, she said he was nice and funny sometimes.

Naruto thought he was weird. Kakashi's hair was weird; Naruto thought Kakashi hiding a majority of his face was weird; why Kakashi seemed so lazy made him weird; why he seemed only interested in Rio was weird.

But Rio found some kind of enjoyment out of Kakashi's company, so Naruto knew better than to complain about it.

"I will." Rio's voice snapped Naruto out of his thoughts. "Thanks, Naruto."

That foxlike grin spread across his face again.

"Kids, time to come back in!" Ms. Tsukino called. "It's time for your studies."

Naruto let out a groan.

"Quit complaining!" Rio exclaimed.

Grumbling something under his breath, Naruto helped Rio up, the two of them walking side-by-side back into the orphanage.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry if this chapter was sloppy/poorly-written. I'm trying to find some kind of build-up to when this story goes to the anime's storyline. If it's OK with you guys, this story will probably very loosely follow the anime. Let me know what you think on the matter.**

 **I own nothing in the 'Naruto' universe. All I own are my characters and the shoes on my feet.**

 **Leave a review or PM me if you've got** — **ideas for OC's you'd like added to the story; possible side-stories after big events that occurred in the anime; possible pairings within the story; a specific [made-up or not] jutsu you'd like Rio to have, since everyone seems to have their own personalized attack. I think it's important when you guys give ideas/suggestions, even though this story's only two chapters in.**

 **Just let me know what you guys think, OK? That'll really help this story progress smoothly.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	3. Chapter 3: Heads Up

**Heads Up**

Rio, at six years old, somehow managed to land a spot in the Academy, despite being told countless times how it'd be impossible because of her blindness. Her determination to become a ninja was what driving her to endure it all. Part of her blamed Naruto, who probably instilled some kind of stubbornness and blind impulsivity into her as they grew up together.

Thankfully, Naruto, who was also in the Academy, helped Rio out as frequently as he could, though it wasn't as often as Rio would've liked. The impulsive Uzumaki boy found himself getting more into trouble than actually getting something productive done.

Which left Kakashi, who helped Rio out without question or hesitation.

Rio was grateful she had an actual teacher from the Academy—aside from Iruka-Sensei, who managed to work his kindness and acceptance into Rio's and Naruto's lives—who was willing to actually spend time after class and help her get better at her skills.

Kakashi helped Rio figure out her own personalized techniques to take down potential opponents. He helped her hone her senses in order to detect enemies, though she was still trying to work on that.

"It's a special Sensing Technique only certain people can have," Kakashi had explained. "Sensory Types of shinobi are able to use special jutsus to find others depending on their Chakra Signatures."

"You think I can do something like that?" Rio asked.

"It's important you develop a skill like that." Kakashi shoved his hands into his pockets. "When you go into battle, an opponent will use your disabilities against you, especially if they're obvious ones."

"But I still don't understand...," she started.

"There are some people—whether they're shinobi or not—in this world who are able to _feel_ someone else's chakra," Kakashi said. "Others can't do something like that. You've said yourself that, in certain instances, you can feel something different in people."

Rio nodded.

"You're partially able to sense chakra." Kakashi studied Rio closely, as if making sure his assumption was correct. "We need to practice on having you fully sense others around you."

"'Cause I'm blind."

"That's right."

"So how do other people do it?"

* * *

By the end of their practice session, and every session after that, Rio soon started to realize her own Sensory Technique. Kakashi had congratulated her on it, she felt pride that she'd been able to figure it out.

It only took her five months to start getting the hang of it.

"Naruto!" She hurried to the apartment building—with Kakashi's guidance—Naruto was staying at. He'd since moved out of the apartment, by the Hokage's orders, to not only get away from the constant bullying he faced by the other kids there, but because the Hokage thought it'd be best if he lived in a more realistic environment, especially since Naruto was attending the Academy. After making their way to Naruto's door, Rio excitedly knocked on it.

"Rio?" Naruto's voice sounded tired, as if he'd been sleeping.

"Guess what?" she exclaimed.

Naruto let out a sound of confusion. He'd never seen her so excited before—at least not as excited as when she got accepted into the Academy. "What?" he muttered.

"You've gotta guess!"

Letting out a sigh, Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. He felt too tired to think, but he'd to it for Rio's sake. But there was also a part of him that was hyper aware of Kakashi's presence lingering in the back.

"I'm at a loss, Rio," he sighed.

"I learned a new technique!" she cried happily.

"Really?" Naruto felt a bubble of pride form in his stomach. When Rio nodded furiously, Naruto gave her the biggest hug he could offer. "I'm so proud of you."

Rio hugged Naruto back with as much ferocity as he was providing.

When the embrace ended, Naruto glanced back at Kakashi, who was standing a little way's away, trying to look indifferent. But Naruto couldn't help but feel a little happy that someone like Kakashi Hatake was going out of their time to watch over Rio. Especially when it came down to Naruto not being there on some occasions.

"Thanks for helping her," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Kakashi's gaze went to Naruto for a moment before he nodded wordlessly.

* * *

After Rio had been dropped off at the orphanage, Kakashi decided he'd take a little walk around the village to clear his head. He was proud to see how much Naruto and Rio had grown over the years; he was happy to be part of it.

The one thing that saddened him, though, was that neither of them received any acknowledgement or appreciation. The villagers still treated Naruto as if he were an outcast—the adults either ignored Naruto, threw dirty looks his way, or muttered names under their breath; the children were no better. The kids treated Naruto poorly—beating him up, calling him names, not even acknowledging his presence.

They treated Rio the same way, too. In some ways, it could be because Rio was Naruto's friend. His _only_ friend. But Rio never really understood the real reason behind the village's dislike for her.

She came from another village, parentless, with no real information on her. The Hokage did manage to scourge minimal information, whatever he could find on Rio's background.

Only a select number of shinobi were allowed to know Rio's history.

Unfortunately, since Rio's appearance into the village, only a couple years after the Kyūbi attack, she had been deemed an outcast because the villagers didn't want to accept that maybe the infant was going to be reunited with possible family members in the village. They were paranoid—shinobi from other villagers were planting spies in hopes of gaining information on the Leaf Village; which didn't make sense, since it was only an infant being brought in.

It made Kakashi a little sad.

Rio and Naruto were good kids, the villagers just couldn't see it.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **If this update was sloppy, I apologize. I've had a long week of finals so I'm a little burnt out. If you found enjoyment in this update, I thank you and ask that you, hopefully, review.**

 **If by any chance, I'm getting the characters wrong, let me know and I'll try and fix to the best of my ability.**

 **Nothing in the 'Naruto' universe is mine. All I own are my characters and the food in my fridge.**

 **Don't hesitate to leave reviews on possible ideas you might have. If you've got an OC you'd like written in, if you've got ideas for possible side-plots, if you've got ideas on how I can have Rio interact with all the characters in the franchise, let me know.**

 **Just to get a little understanding on Rio's character, just in case, she's blind and I'm kind of basing her off—for anyone who's seen the show—Toph from the Avatar series. Small, blind, tough, not an Earthbender, but she will be a ninja. Rio's also got a few of Toph's talents—the whole "seeing" with vibrations thing** **—except I may incorporate something else in it to make it fit the whole ninja universe.**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	4. Chapter 4: Knots Untie

**Knots Untie**

It had been long since the graduation ceremony at the Academy ended, and the only one who _didn't_ make it was— _again_ , unfortunately—Naruto. Iruka-Sensei had announced that the final test would be each student performing a Shadow Clone—that was the one jutsu Naruto just couldn't perform.

One could only imagine how it ended.

Rio had been disappointed that Naruto didn't graduate—despite her age, she managed to surpass what the other villagers thought to be impossible for someone like her. She graduated the Academy at just eight years old, the youngest in her class.

"Naruto?" She had felt—yes, felt. Rio was able to detect others through specific vibrations they emitted through the ground [which was why she decided to walk barefoot, no matter the condition] and by their chakra—Naruto's chakra had been by an old tree a few feet from the Academy. The one thing that made Naruto different from everyone else was that his chakra held such an overwhelming amount of power. "Are you gonna be OK?" she asked quietly. It didn't go unnoticed that the other kids were—whether it was quietly or not—taunting Naruto for not passing again.

Looking over at Rio for a minute, Naruto felt the heaviness inside him intensify. All he wanted to do was become something important. All he wanted was to be acknowledged as a someone.

"I'll be fine," he sighed. "Congratulations, Rio. You deserved this."

Rio frowned. Sure, she worked hard to get where she was, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to feel guilty over Naruto not passing.

"Why don't we get some ramen?" she offered, trying to lighten the mood.

Naruto didn't say anything for a moment. "No thanks," he murmured. "I'd just like to be alone for a little bit."

* * *

Rio felt a surge of chakra—given it was pretty far from where the village was, but if it was strong enough for her to feel it from her apartment, then it got her concern. She hadn't seen much of Naruto since she left the Academy, but she did hear a bit of a commotion down below. Something about a stolen scroll.

 _Don't tell me Naruto did this._ Rio's brows furrowed. Sure Naruto had his moments of reckless impulsivity, but certainly he had his limits, right? Even someone as careless as _Naruto_ knew where to draw the line, right?

She let out a frustrated sigh.

If Naruto was somehow behind the surge of chakra and the commotion, Rio was tempted to go and make sure he didn't hurt himself or others.

 _Of course Naruto is behind it!_ she thought. _Who else has chakra that intense?_

Rio chewed on her bottom lip. Hesitantly getting up, she opened her apartment door before hurriedly leaving.

 _Hopefully he didn't hurt anyone. Hopefully he didn't hurt_ _himself_ _. Why does he have to lash out all the time, though?_ _—But you don't really know if it's him or not! You can't point fingers until you're certain!_

Rio shook her head. There was no time for internalized battles. It had been Naruto's chakra she felt, she was certain. No one else in the village had chakra as intense as Naruto's. So she decided to follow his chakra to a wooded area outside the village. The further she got, the stronger it became.

At the peak of where the chakra was, Rio decided she was going to keep herself hidden. Naruto's chakra was everywhere.

Not only that, but his _voice_ was everywhere.

 _He...mastered the Shadow Clones?_ Rio thought, feeling a rush of surprise in her. _He did it in just one night?_

Before anything else could happen, there was a shout when all the Shadow Clones jumped from where they were perched.

* * *

Rio hesitantly came out from where she had been standing. The overload of chakra had diminished, but bits of it still lingered in the air. Rio's senses felt as if they were overloading from the aftermath.

"Rio?" Naruto's voice called out. "What're you doing here?"

"I felt your chakra, back at the village," she said hesitantly, her voice unusually soft. "I came to see if you were OK."

There was a moment of silence before Naruto approached her. "I'm fine!" he exclaimed. Rio nodded.

"Hey, Naruto," Iruka-Sensei called. Rio felt another sense of surprise at hearing Iruka-Sensei's voice. She didn't even realize he was there—his presence had been overshadowed by Naruto. "Come here a minute. I have something I want to give you."

Naruto rushed over to his teacher's side, curious but excited to know what Iruka-Sensei wanted to give him. After being instructed to close his eyes, Naruto anxiously waited for the opportunity to open them.

"OK, you can open your eyes now," Iruka-Sensei said. "Congratulations. You graduate."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hey-yo, everybody! Sorry for the delay, but here's the chapter. If you think it's too similar to the first episode, I apologize. Just tell me what you think OK? That's the important thing.**

 **I own nothing in this universe. All I own are my characters and the food in my fridge.**

 **If you've got ideas for future updates, let me know; if you've got ideas on how Rio could somehow work in this story, let me know; if you've got ideas on anything in general, let me know. It's important I know what you guys think so I could improve this story! I have a few things I know I'll be adding into the story, but I'm still working out some minor details. But until then, don't hesitate to leave a review telling me what you think, OK? It's, like I mentioned, super important.**

 **Anywho, I digress.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	5. Chapter 5: We Happy Few

**We Happy Few**

There was a long trek back to the village. It had been well into the night when the enemy—Mizuki-Sensei—had been taken down by Naruto and his Shadow Clones. Naruto kept blabbering on about happy he was to finally graduate, and how he couldn't believe how he was one step closer to reaching his goal of being Hokage. But when the morning sun shining down on them, and Naruto didn't seem at all phased or tired, it became apparent to Rio and Iruka-Sensei that Naruto's energy and excitement was outweighing any exhaustion he might have been feeling.

"Hey, Rio, do you think we'll be on the same team?" Naruto exclaimed, folding his arms behind his head.

Rio shrugged. "There's a possibility we might," she said, "but I wouldn't keep my hopes up on it happening."

A light scowl appeared on Naruto's face. "Don't talk like that!" he nearly shouted. "I _know_ we'll be on the same team."

Rio didn't argue, instead having to listen to Naruto rant on about how it would be impossible for them to be on different teams. While she thought the idea of being on the same team as Naruto would be nice, the chances of them being together were highly unlikely.

"Why don't we talk about this later, OK?" Rio suggested. "I'm a little tired. Kind of my fault for wandering out in the middle of the night."

"You're right about that, Rio," Iruka-Sensei said sternly, grunting slightly to adjust Mizuki-Sensei's unconscious body. "You shouldn't be running around into situations you don't know about. It could get you seriously hurt."

Sighing, she nodded wordlessly.

* * *

By the time they made it back to the village, Mizuki-Sensei was taken away and the scroll Naruto had taken from the Hokage had been returned without much fuss. A few of the adults were throwing nasty looks Naruto's way, which he either ignored or answered with a look of his own.

"Are you hurt?" Rio asked, after a couple minutes of them not talking. They were headed to the apartment building, where Naruto lived.

"I'm fine I guess." He shrugged nonchalantly, occasionally fixing the Konoha headband on his forehead.

"So you stole the Hokage's scroll?" Rio murmured, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It wasn't my fault," Naruto muttered. "Mizuki-Sensei tricked me!"

"You can't be that gullible, Naruto," Rio exclaimed. "People will always say things to get you to do what they want."

"I just wanted to get better so I could graduate," Naruto exclaimed. "I didn't want to keep failing!"

"You could've just asked for help." Rio's eyes narrowed slightly. "If you weren't getting into trouble or being so stubborn, someone would've been willing to give you a hand."

"Really? Like who?" The question came out sarcastic, almost bitter.

"Iruka-Sensei," Rio exclaimed. "Or Kakashi-Sensei, or me. But you didn't want to do anything but pull pranks on people!"

Naruto grumbled under his breath, knowing Rio had a bit of a point. He knew Rio _sort_ _of_ had a point. What she didn't know, though, was that whenever they _weren't_ together, Naruto was training his butt off trying to understand all the techniques he'd learned. She knew about the times he was in trouble for vandalizing the village or pulling somewhat elaborate pranks on the village.

Sighing, Rio hung her head a little, some of her snow white hair hanging in front of her face. "I want what's best for you, Naruto," she said solemnly.

" _I'm_ supposed to be the older one here," Naruto exclaimed, a hint of his foxlike grin spreading across his face. "You shouldn't be worrying about me."

"It's kind of hard when you're getting in trouble most of the time."

While the two of them let out a light chuckle, a puff of smoke appeared, causing Naruto to jump into an almost fighting position. When the smoke cleared, Kakashi's form stood there, looking at the two kids in front of him lazily.

A smile spread across Rio's face.

"Hey," Kakashi said, waving at Naruto and Rio. "I just came to see Rio." Kakashi's gaze went to Naruto for a brief moment, seeing the headband on his head. He took a moment longer to study it before he looked back at Rio.

"I'll see ya later, Rio." Naruto's voice held a tone to it that Rio couldn't put a finger on. He walked off with his hands in his pockets.

Rio wanted to say something, opening her mouth, but decided against it. No matter what she'd say, Naruto would never like Kakashi, much to Rio's confusion.

"I heard about you graduating and came as quickly as I could," Kakashi said, not even glancing back at Naruto. "I'm proud of you, Rio."

"Thanks, Kakashi-Sensei," Rio exclaimed, smiling up at him. Kakashi had been a great help to Rio during her time at the Academy. If it hadn't been for him or Iruka-Sensei, Rio probably wouldn't have graduated as young as she had.

Playfully rustling Rio's hair, a smile spread across Kakashi's hidden face. "I've got a surprise for you, if you don't mind following me."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hey-yo, everybody! Sorry for the delay, but here's the chapter! If I, in any way, got the characters wrong, let me know, OK? I don't want to find out later I've been writing them wrong. Just let me know ahead of time, I'll appreciate it.**

 **I own nothing in the 'Naruto' universe. All I own are my characters and the fireworks I bought.**

 **I know it's a little less than a day early, but happy Fourth of July to anyone who's celebrating it tomorrow! Hopefully you all have a safe time with your fireworks and celebrations. May your Fourth be amazing!**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


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